Austin City Council Member Zo Qadri is running for a second term representing District 9. He faces four challengers on the Nov. 3 ballot: Katie Kam, Rich Heyman, Kai Huang and Dave Thadani. The district covers part of Central Austin, including downtown, the University of Texas and the Texas Capitol. The winner will serve a four-year term beginning in January.
KUT News reported that several candidates focused on affordability in the months before the election, with proposals to address rent and home prices in Central Austin. In interviews, four of the five candidates also discussed public safety, homelessness and city transit.
Qadri said he is proud of progress on HOME, an initiative that allowed denser construction on single-family lots. He said more work remains. "We have a land development code that hasn't been fully updated since 1984, so we need to continue to work on housing and parking reforms," Qadri said. Polls close at 7 p.m. Early voting totals will be reported first, and results will continue to update through the night. Some races may not be decided until Wednesday morning. If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote, the top two vote-getters will advance to a runoff.